Irony, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. It is also defined as a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results.

Now for the facts. The Cass County Council on Aug. 18 enacted two taxes. The council passed a 1 percent local option income tax and a .25 percent public safety tax. That means the current 1.5 percent income tax will rise to 2.5 percent for 2011.

I’m sure the County Council is doing what it thinks is best for the community. The only quarrel I have with this action is that it is being taken when more and more people have less and less income.

Many will not be paying income taxes because they will not be working. My surprise comes with the reaction to the tax increase or should I say the lack of a reaction.

In a year when the tea party is supposed to represent the majority of Americans, who according to the tea party want less taxes and less government, there has been not one comment.

No one has written a letter to the Public Forum about the effects that increase will have. No one has spoken out in public regarding the new taxes or tax increases. No one has protested or chanted on the streets around the County Government Building.

To the best of my knowledge, no one even bothered to go to the county council meeting where the taxes were approved to lend a voice. Even this paper only recognized the event with the headline, “Council passes income taxes.” 

Now is this apathy or what? Perhaps we all trust our county council to do the best thing, which I’m sure they try to do. Or is it, we no longer care. Whatever the reason, an event like this should not pass without recognition.

The Indianapolis tea party and I assume the Cass County tea party have this purpose stated on the header of their web page: “To restore limited government, fiscal responsibility and accountable representation through citizen activism and education, in order to preserve the Constitution of the United States of America.” Many Republicans are also tea party members. Republicans, I’ve heard, are adamantly against raising taxes. From this I must assume that it would have been natural for most of the council to have been against this increase. Or, maybe when a Republican-dominated county council raises taxes it is OK. That is the irony of which I speak.

Another irony is that we all preach freedom of religion, but immediately fold our ideals when it is not our religion. Thomas Jefferson: “It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg.” Thomas Jefferson, one of our most gifted statesmen and president, seems to be suggesting tolerance. To me, this is a positive approach to the variety of religions found in the USA. No one religion is state sponsored and no religions are state banned. It allows everyone to worship in the manner they select or not at all. It fits in consistently with the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

While religious tolerance might not have been common among the Puritans, it appears to have been among the founding fathers such as Jefferson. It is clear they intended for government to stay out of the religion business. They didn’t want religions banned nor did they want a state-supported religion. If you haven’t noticed, some of the most warlike nations are those with state religions. 

Ground zero, site of the former World Trade Center, is and should always be hallowed ground. Ground zero, like any battlefield, is a place to remember the dead and their sacrifice. However, it is a clear lack of tolerance and good sense when an entire religion is blamed for the acts of a few.

That would be like holding most of us living in Cass County responsible for the killings in the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition. Should 1.4 billion Muslims be punished for the acts of a few deranged terrorists? I think not. 

Someone somewhere I suspect picked up on the idea that going after Muslims might just be a way to win votes. How low can we stoop? Should we punish innocent people just to further our

attempts at winning elections? Never.

Barack Obama’s “Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country” is exactly what the Constitution states. If they have purchased a building some distance away from Ground Zero and have all of the permits and approvals it takes for it to be a mosque, why should we be upset? This is exactly the same right Jews, Catholics, Christians and many other religions have. Would we have been less upset if an Indonesian Trade Group had bought the building? If so, why?

This isn’t a real issue. It is a politically contrived issue designed to get votes.

Some might suggest we have a right to damn those who do not agree with us. I beg to differ. Is that what we want to teach our children? Do we want our children to grow up thinking that violence and loud shouting is the only way to settle disagreements? I hope not.

The very definition of civilization lends itself to the concept that people will work together toward common goals. People will learn and develop institutions and laws that guide their actions. Civilization is the advanced state of social and political development that has resulted from a long climb from barbarianism. Civilized people discuss issues in a calm manner stating factual information. If we consider ourselves civilized, then perhaps we should show a little more tolerance.

That is what I think. What do you think?

• Gordon Southern is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com.